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Winemaker's Notes

Our Layer Cake from Calatayud, Spain is a rich and powerful Garnacha, very layered
aromatically with fresh red stone fruit, spice and a hint of leather and tobacco. On the palate,
the wine shows intense dark fruit with a background of chocolate and coffee with a long creamy finish. This wine will definitely lead to more babies being born in the world.

Layer Cake Winery

Layer Cake is a wine that was inspired by my Grandfather and Grandmother. Every Sunday, my Grandmother would bake a huge layer cake for dessert. My Grandfather would pour me a little glass of wine and place it at the table for me. He explained wine in terms of that cake. 'The vines,' he would
say, 'live in layers of soil just like the layers in Grandma’s cake; each layer bringing a different flavor.'
My grandfather taught me that everything in life is about layers and complexity. I loved those words
and when I was a cake-focused boy, it made perfect sense… in fact, it still does.

Since those early days I have been all over the wine world time and again. I have tasted thousands of
different wines and there are only a few places that haunt me, always come back to mind, occupy my
dreams and have drawn me back again to taste some more.

I started Layer Cake because I wanted
to make a wine at a price that could be
enjoyed everyday with abandon, yet
made by hand (not in a giant factory)
and made in some special places in the
world that I have always loved. The
mission was simply to shock people
about how good wine could be at a
very affordable price.

While the Layer Cake wines were not intended to be compared with Hundred Acre, they are rich and
taste like they should simply cost a lot more. This is due to our rigorous fruit selection and small
winemaking style. The same team of winemakers that work with me at Hundred Acre, work with me all
over the world to craft a rich Shiraz in South Australia, fabulous Malbec in Argentina, spicy old vine
Primitivo, aka Zinfandel, in Puglia, Italy, sleek Syrah in the Cote du Rhone, France and of course, some
Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. Each is very special in its own way and a phenomenal value.

With the making of each Layer Cake wine my Grandfather’s words and my Grandmother’s cakes come
back to me. Layer Cake is a simple black and white label with, of course, my Grandmother’s giant layer
cake on the front and my Grandfather’s words on the back…ENJOY!!
View all Layer Cake Wines

About Other Spain

The third largest country in production, Spain ranks first in land under vine. Diversity and innovation are the key factors bringing Spain back into the world wine market.

The most popular red varieties of Spain include Tempranillo and Garnacha (Grenache). Whites don't garner quite as much recognition, but there are some regional varieties not to be missed, like Albarino and Verdejo. The popular red regions of Spain include Rioja, known for its outstanding wines of the Tempranillo grape; Ribera del Duero, producing high quality reds from Tempranillo and Garnacha; Galacia, with the sub-region of Rias Baixas, home to the deliciously crisp and floral Albarino grape; and Priorat, a region increasing in popularity with its high-quality cult reds. Other regions of note are Rueda, growing the Verdejo grape, La Mancha, a wide desert region, covered in the most planted white variety in the world, Airen, and Jumilla, making wines based on Monestrell (Mourvedre).

Spain's wine laws are based on the Denominacion de Origen (DO) classification system, devised in the 1930's. A four tiered system, the most basic level is Vina de Mesa (table wine) followed by Vino de la Tierra (country wine), DO and at the top DOC. Currently, only Rioja and Priorat have DOC status, while over 55 Dos scatter the country.

Most DO regions are classified and regulated by how long they age the wines. On a red wine label, one may find the terms Crianza, Reserva or Gran Reserva, denoting the wine's barrel and bottle time. Crianza is usually two years between barrel and bottle (the time in each depends on the DO and/or the winemaker), Reserva up to 4 years and Gran Reserva 5 – 6 years. Classifications of each region and wine are controlled by the region's Consejo Regulador.
Other regions of Spain include:

La Mancha

Home of most of the Airen grapes planted as well as Don Quioxte, La Mancha is a vast desert-like area of flat land and penetrating sun.

Sherry

The Sherry region is located near Spain’s southernmost point along the coast. Sherry produces white varietals used to make the fortified wines from which it received its namesake such as Palomino, Palomino Fino, Palomino de Jerez, Pedro Ximenez and Moscatel.

Penedés

The Penedés wine region is located in the province of Barcelona, along the eastern coast of Spain. The Penedés wine region consists of 185 vineyards. Penedes is home to Spain’s sparkling wine, Cava, and also produces Garnacha, Merlot, Tempranillo, Pinot Noir, Monastrell, Carignane, Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah (reds), as well as Macabeo (Viura), Parellada, Chardonnay, Riesling, Gewurtztraminer, Chenin Blanc and Moscatel de Alejandria.

Yecla

Located in southeastern Spain, Yecla is situated in the province of Murica. Neighboring the Jumilla region, Yecla is one of Spain’s smallest wine regions. Common red varietals include Monastrell, Garnacha Tinta, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cencibel, Merlot, Tintorera and Syrah. White varietals include Merseguera, Airen, Macabeo, Malvasia and Chardonnay.

About Australia

Like the United States, which is about the same size, Australia's winemaking regions are huddled into one or two pockets of the country. The state of South Australia, which produces about 60% of the country's wine, also has the most wineries and sub-regions, including McLaren Vale, Clare Valley, Coonawarra and Barossa Valley. New South Wales is home to the Hunter Valley, while the smaller, southern state of
Victoria is best known for theYarra Valley. Head way west to the very large state of Western Australia and you'll find the tiny region of Margaret River at the southern tip.

Customer Reviews

1 rating, 1 with review

As I sit by a warm fire adorned with a fuzzy robe and slippers I sip on this wine. I am enthralled by the flavor and the overall body of the wine. If you like tart and earthy it is for you. I have to say in follow up of the other review, there will be no babies conceived over this bottle. Enjoy.

Vivid purple with bright red rim. Nose of raspberry, cherry fruit with earthy notes of spice, leather, vanilla and mocha.
A full bodied with fine, soft tannins and well balanced acidity. Raspberry and wild berry fruits give way to a ...

Very intense cherry red color with tones of purple. Presents in the nose a great concentration of aromas of ripe
red fruit with floral nuances. In the mouth it is a well structured rich wine that evokes tastes of blackberry, ...

Unusual for such a wine, the Garnacha also has a marked caramel undertone that is more nuanced than the average
Rioja. The wine has a red color with purple flashes. It is very bright and livey, with a nose of ...

Alcohol By Volume Guide

Most wine ranges from 10-16% alcohol by volume. Some varietals tend to have higher (for example Zinfandel and Cabernet Sauvignon) or lower alcohol levels (Pinot Noir and many white varietals), but there is always some variation from producer to producer. Some wine falls outside of this range, for instance Port weighs in closer to 20%, while Muscat and Riesling are usually a bit below 10%.

Wine Style Guide

Light & Fruity

Red wines that are more fruit-forward and lighter in tannin and body.

Smooth & Supple

Medium bodied reds that go down easy, with smooth tannins and supple fruit.